Meet & Connect Zone

The Meet & Connect Zone is CEPAS's informal hub in the Exhibition Hall, designed for spontaneous networking alongside the scientific programme. Set during coffee and lunch breaks, it offers an easy, low-pressure way to connect between sessions whether you're catching up with familiar faces or, as an early-career investigator or first-time congress attendee, looking to meet new colleagues and peers.

Early Career Subspecialty Hub

Wednesday, 28 October 2026, 18:00 - 19:00

From tiny preemies to teenagers, paediatrics offers many different paths.

Got your heart set on cardiology, more into brains and neurology, following your gut towards gastroenterology, or still deciding between general paediatrics, primary care, neonatology or PICU?

Join the Early Career Subspecialty Hub during the Welcome Reception and explore your options in person. Meet paediatric specialists from different fields, ask about their work, training and career paths, and find out which direction might be right for you.

Organised by YEAP, the early career section of the European Academy of Paediatrics.

Meet the 99nicu Team – Join our CEPAS Treasure Hunt!

Thursday, 29 October 2026, 10:10 - 10:25

99nicu is the online community for neonatal professionals worldwide - over 7,000 members from 76+ countries sharing their practices every day. We've been at it for 20 years, and at CEPAS 2026 we're celebrating that milestone in person. Our team is on site throughout the congress, covering sessions live on the forum and our social channels so colleagues at home can follow along. On Saturday, join our dedicated session marking 20 years of 99nicu - kicking off with a clinical quiz and opening into a conversation about where the community is heading next. And in between? We've set up a treasure hunt across the venue: snap a photo of a session, a poster, and a selfie with a delegate you don't know yet, then bring all three to our 99nicu space to pick up your enamel pin. Come say hello - we'd love to put a face to your username.

Trustworthiness and Spin in Academic Publishing

Thursday, 29 October 2026, 14:30 - 15:00

This session examines three major threats to trustworthiness in academic publishing: predatory journals, fabricated data, and spin. It explores how predatory outlets bypass rigorous peer review, how data fabrication undermines the reliability of the scientific record, and how spin distorts legitimate findings in ways that mislead readers and policymakers. The presentation highlights current challenges across the publication ecosystem and outlines practical measures to strengthen transparency, integrity, and accountability. It is designed to prompt reflection on how the research community can collectively safeguard credibility in scholarly communication.

Meet the President - EAP President Berthold Koletzko

Thursday, 29 October 2026, 16:00 - 16:30

Join us in the Meet & Connect Zone for an informal meeting with EAP president Berthold Koletzko.

Meet the President - ESPR President Willem de Boode

Friday, 30 October 2026, 10:45 - 11:15

Join us in the Meet & Connect Zone for an informal meeting with ESPR President Willem de Boode.

Inside Paediatric Publishing: From Submission to Peer Review

Publisher Workshop

Friday, 30 October 2026, 13:45 - 15:15

This interactive workshop aims to share practical insights into paediatric publishing and create an open discussion space for delegates, with a focus on supporting early career researchers in both publishing and peer reviewing.

The workshop will be moderated by EAP President Berthold Koletzko, Editor-in-Chief of Annals of Nutrition and Metablism, who will be joined by Hugo Lagercrantz, Editor-in-Chief of Acta Paediatrica as well as Cynthia Bearer, Editor-in-Chief of Pediatric Research. They look forward to your questions.

Gain insight into what happens behind the scenes in publishing:

  • What elements can enhance the likelihood of getting your manuscript accepted?
  • When and how can AI be used?
  • What happens after you submit a manuscript?
  • Why does the review process sometimes take so long?
  • How does the editorial decision-making process work?
  • What are common reasons for acceptance and rejection?

Learn more about how peer review really works and how reviewers are selected. Find out what editors expect from good peer review.

With a special focus on early career researchers the discussion will include practical tips on how to get started as a peer reviewer, writing effective and constructive reviews, how to improve your chances of publication as well as common mistakes to avoid.

Discover NOTE: Taking neonatal education further

Friday, 30 October 2026, 15:15 - 15:35

Curious about postgraduate study in neonatology? Come and meet the University of Southampton's NOTE Programme Lead and teaching team for an informal 20-minute session. Discover what it is like to study on the MSc Neonatology programme and how it can support your development at different stages of your neonatal career. Meet some of the tutors behind the modules and explore how the programme's interactive, discussion-based approach can support you to develop your knowledge, clinical reasoning and practice. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions and find out more about studying with NOTE. The session may also include a current student perspective, offering an insight into their experience of studying on the programme.

Reducing the Use of Unnecessary Tests and Treatments

Saturday, 31 October 2026, 10:30 - 11:00

In this presentation we will explore how NICUs can deliver high-value care by reducing unnecessary diagnostic tests, monitoring, and treatments while ensuring patients receive the appropriate care required. It will be structured around three connected questions that align closely with EBNEO's mission of translating evidence into practice.

First, understanding the systems, cultural, clinician and patient factors that drive overuse and cause low-value practices to persist. Second, understanding how to de-implement practices, learning from specific examples and case studies. Third, how should clinicians decide when a test or treatment should be used? We will highlight EBNEO's role in evidence dissemination, appraisal, and decision-making, and will describe some frameworks to build consensus in a unit and apply evidence at the bedside.

20 Years of 99nicu – Reclaiming our Online Community

Saturday, 31 October 2026, 12:45 - 13:15

Join our dedicated session marking 20 years of 99nicu. For the last 20 years, we have been bringing the community together through discussions and activities - and this session is no different. We'll start with our CEPAS Interactive Clinical Quiz, where you can engage with colleagues from across the global 99nicu network on a clinically focused quiz. From there, let's discuss where 99nicu has been, what we've learned from each other across 76+ countries, and where the community is heading next. Whether you've been a member since the early days or just discovered us at CEPAS, come and be part of the next chapter.